Temple Grandin on Visual Thinking and Animal Behavior 

I was a veterinary technician for 20 years, then went to nursing school. Had a nursing instructor who pointed out that people who worked with animals understood how to read body language , which can be a great asset in nursing. I went back to the veterinary field after 3 years working as an RN....nursing was not about the patient, it was about passing meds and paperwork.....

Some 10+ years ago, I was waiting in line to board an airplane when I recognized Temple Grandin standing in front of me. We struck up a conversation, which continued onto the airplane. She was seated in front of me, in first class, and she spent much of the flight facing back over her seat to chat with me. Having worked as a chauffeur during college, I had met countless celebrities. For the most part, they were not very impressive, but I was a little star struck to meet Dr. Grandin.

How many times can I hit the "like" button? Thank you Dr. Grandin.

Ms. Grandin also makes the point to tell her students, and people she meets who are on the autism spectrum..that they are not 'flawed or different'. They merely have a unique way of perceiving the world, and then acting in it. This can be an enormous advantage, if the first thing the autistic person does is receive encouragement and assurance it is not some kind of 'defect'..Bravo, Ms. Grandin.

I thought about 40 years that i was bad at maths...in january i had for the first time in my live a good maths teacher; he took time to explain it to me and encouraged me to just do it! Now i'm having much fun with mathematics and even did successfully pass a test at my local job center! Not all depends on your intelligence, but a lot of on able teachers!

I love this talk! I am thankful for you, Temple Grandin! My husband & I ran an agriculturally-based education program for children 3-12 yrs of age for 8 years. We have Autism in our family. We cared for & educated children with a wide range of developmental needs, including those who were labeled as behavior disordered & kicked out of other schools. Observing the animals was always the first step in the children getting to know the animals -- especially the horses! Children thrive learning this way. God bless you, Temple Grandin. You are a gem! 💖🙏🏼😇

When you spoke about schools not knowing how to respond to a math whizz or student interested In engineering, I am reminded of the Arts and Science school my children were able to attend. The main classes had the math and science kids mixed in with the dancers, artists, and theatre kids. It was such a rich experience. My kid who was an artist really enjoyed building things and my theatre kid was good at figuring out how cell phones work, etc. we need more high schools like this. And why is shop no longer offered in many schools as it was back in the day? I learned how to sew in middle school which is a great skill to have. Hands on is the way to go. Thank you for your insightful talk.

I remember going to see Ms. Grandin at RCC in CA. One thing I never forgot is she said it’s important to teach children how to take turns.

Brava, Ms Gradin, to both you and your mother. She was clearly instrumental in your success and, in turn, in our ability to learn from you.

Watching this gave me an insight in how to help "autistic" people who are suffering. It's so simple, and completely natural. Hint: The same known cure for depression.

i come from a family of high i.q. social nerds. learning about you made a big positive difference in how i thought about myself. one day i wandered into an online group for people who had aspergers & i saw my life over & over in what they said to each other. i commented that i was glad to know that we aren't just a bunch of losers & screw ups. the most beautiful thing i ever saw was a comment that we weren't losers etc. & never were. thank you temple grandin.

Very interesting. I became interested in Temple because a family member has been diagnosed with autism. However I'm wondering now if I'm autistic. I thought my thinking was different because I grew up in a dysfunctional family. My mother intentionally did not teach me anything. She had taught my sister how to read at the 3rd grade level and how write cursive before she went to kindergarten. The school wasn't happy because she didn't fit in with the other students. When I started kindergarten I didn't know the alphabet, I had difficulty learning how to read in part because I found reading boring. (A picture is worth a thousand words) I was very much a visual thinker. I was also artistic, I saw more details than most kids therefore my drawings were three dimensional while my classmates drew one dimensional. Because my reading skills were poor I was labeled slow. It didn't help that my mother kept telling me I was stupid, I believed her and really didn't try to learn reading, writing, and math. I constantly doodled, I had problems listening to the teacher. I daydreamed a lot, I was often alone and spent a lot of time in a fantasy world of my own. My self-esteem and communication skills suffered. My artistic skills enabled me to get a job as an illustrator. I was very focused on my work, constantly analysed how to produce more higher quality work. When I left that job they hired 2 people to replace me. I was very analytical, changed careers and became a management analyst. I was always looking, seeing more details therefore my conclusions and recommendations were often better than my coworkers. Years later one coworker told me she and the other coworkers couldn't figure out how I came up with my recommendations. My recommendations were usually better, based on more detail, and when implemented were successful. I had an amazing memory, almost photographic. I could recall details most people didn't even notice. I realized other people thought differently from me and I felt the need to interpret my thinking for them so they could better understand what I was saying. Unfortunately age, menopause, changed everything.

just wow. I am like one minute in and absolutely gripped. This woman is an absolute full-force genius. She has one of the most beautiful and penetrating minds I have ever witnessed.

You go Temple !!! I luv your work. I am an architect. Went to RISD. LUV your whole story...following you for years. You are brilliant !!!

Omg I just realised that I think in movies, or rather I never knew it wasn't normal! Maybe that's why animals respond to me so well, because I see like them, I knew the cow was transfixed by the sunbeam and always know what my horses will spook at (to the point where I ask myself "is he reading me in that I can see the paper bag floating up the road, so is he reacting to that or to me seeing it?" That's exactly what I see when you said church steeples, NOT the generalised picture but specific steeples in towns and villages I have seen, in colour. Kolner Dom being the double spires. Amazing, who knew? I thought everyone did what you call bottom up thinking. I love her!

I just saw the title of this and FREAKED OUT I hav not even watched it but I’m so excited bc I’m guessing it’s going to be about how to talk to animals by visualizing what you want to say. In college there was a chicken coop out on the farm where sustainability was taught. I would walk by the chickens in their enclosure to get to class and that would freak them out a little even if I talked sweetly or gave them treats, they were super skittish until I imagined cuddling their little baby chicks one day like really felt it even. ALL the clucking stopped as I thought this and immediately felt like they understood I would not hurt them. I have never forgotten that experience and use visualization to communicate with animals when ever I get the chance. Once I met a snake in my driveway and asked if we could be friends. I imagined myself as another snake twisted around it like mating and it stayed put watching me. I layed on the ground and put my hand out and it sniffed me like we said hello and it slowly slithered off.

Not sure why this got recommended to me, or why I clicked on it, but I'm so glad I did! Great video!

You are truly one of THE greatest minds of our life time, no doubt! I, too, understand how animals think. I've gotten to groom dogs professionally for 39 years until my husband was dx with ALS 3 years ago. . Animal behavior is not only fascinating but its how we, as people, should behave with each other. Animals and nature exist to teach us lessons and ife lessons all through our lives. If animals aren't involved, I am not interested.

I have spent a number of years obsessed with understanding horses, so everything she talks about makes perfect sense. Maybe I think in pictures too. I see a lot of things nobody else does and are obvious to me. Clearly we do not all think the same. I saw the movie "Thinking in Pictures" several years ago and it was a huge inspiration to me. We can be different and still be great. Look at Temple. I have always believed that people that were "different" are really gifted and not seen by most of the world for the talented people they are. This woman deserves all the respect she gets. Near the end it was discussed that we use too many drugs to solve problems. My opinion is we far too often look at the symptom instead of the problem (I learned this from horses) and as a result we never fix the real problem. We just create a dependency on drugs.

I remember learning Temple’s story about a decade ago. At the time, I was very ill & had to spent hours alone. Temple’s journey was one of many that saved me. She is brilliant. This, coming from a person who eats mostly whole, organic foods. I see her designs as adding some compassion to an industry that will exist in America, with or without her. She’s also a voice for learning how to best work together with each of us contributing our individual gifts. Fascinating! And, if anyone is here & curious about neurological disorders, I believe the book she refers to at one point, regarding the man understanding his dog through the sense of touch, is The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Other Clinical Tales by Oliver Sacks. I learned so much in this video. Great comments from others too.

Someone made a comment below asking why the audience is laughing. We're laughing for a couple of reasons (I wasn't in the live audience, but I loved this talk and found it very humorous). Firstly, because she's pointing out how absurd it is that we "typical" people think in the rigid way we think. It's surpising and funny to realize there's a different and perhaps better way. We're so used to being the norm. Secondly, people are there to be entertained and she's very entertaining. When it's dark in the audience and you're in a big group, I think your tendency is to laugh at stuff that you might just smile at in another context. Thirdly, because it's just funny?! I think Dr Grandin is also playing up the humour too. While you can't read the minds of the people in the audience, safe to say at least 95% of people are enjoying this talk and certainly not laughing AT her and the way she presents, in case that's what the commentor was concerned about.

I love the way Temple Grandin thinks, and enjoy hearing her teach so very much. She's a genius!

Absolutely LOVE the movie about her life, pioneering works/animal protection, and professional teaching career. She truly is a gift.

She is wonderful! What i enjoy most about Dr. Grandin is, is how absolutely honest she is. you can just feel it in everything she shares! never hiding shame or exaggertions.. shes just who she is. and who she Clearly is is so smart and real. and kind.

I just love this woman, and she is such a rich resource that we have not known before and has contributed so much, like need people who think in different ways to plan a project. Yes, why do so many things we do fail, like bridges and nclear power plants built on fault lines. She mentioned she knew how to solve some of the problems with our power network so that we can stay functional. Has she been consulted and involved in the planning of this most important weakness America is facing that coud bring us down. For heavens sake please get her enlisted as we need her perspective. She is a genius.

Thank God for Temple Grandin..and may we discover many more gifted as her ❤

I found Dr. Grandin in the 90s. I think it was a NOVA Science Now episode. I was immediately very interested and I admired her accomplishments. The show I saw talked about a stantion she designed that would squeeze the cows to calm them. She also made one for herself and when she would feel overwhelmed with input she would climb in and get squeezed. It was too cool. I followed her career with enthusiasm and can officially say that she is my hero!

I had a photographic memory, then lost it to illnesses. My mind started using auditory memory after listening to ASMR. It's cool to know I was bad at algebra for a reason, but good at geometry, writing, dance, woodshop, planning, and project management. I love science and nature too and was fortunate that mentors pointed out a career I'd excel at and enjoy. What a ride!

One of the most captivating lecturers and minds.

Labels can be a road to self-pity and resignation, but they can also be tools of focus for those who feel that they *have* to become a people-pleasing multi-talented extrovert to get by in life. I never had a label and because of this it took me a long time to accept the fact that I'm just not wired to be a people person because, growing up, this was presented to me as the main attribute of a successful person.

Amazing, amazing person -- and she's teaching something HUGE and incredibly valuable... and if enough people hear her, her message could change the world for the better. Ms. Grandin is expressing -- live and in person -- an example of how to more fully BE as ourselves... and oh, the richness of it!!! She's a delight -- authentic and just herself, and she likes herself, and likes being herself... and then shines that fullness on others -- the animals -- to uplift them too, in service. I'm so inspired. And I encourage you to just read on through the other Comments that have been left here below -- there are so many stories filled with gratitude and echoing the breadth and depths of experience offered by Ms. Grandin -- she's made a safe space here, an appreciative, grokking, trusting place where others can be authentic as well -- and we're all lining up eagerly to share the expansion and appreciation and mutual encouragement -- it feels so good! And it's just wonderful to watch her as an expression of the positive law of attraction in a video, turning into results in black & white, right before our eyes here, as so many express themselves willingly and appreciatively. I'm certainly filled with gratitude for her, and for this experience, and for everyone who came forth to share... Thanks to Temple Grandin, and to you all. To me, this is how it's meant to be and to feel on our planet, in our global human community.

This has been more informative than four years of psychology courses when it comes to studies of the learning ability of the human and animal mind. I also recognized strengths and weaknesses I experienced growing up, and wished my career coaches/counselors had known about this. A fascinating lecture! Thank you!

Thanks Temple, Dr.Grandin, you are a superhero to me!

That still of the explosion with the caption “They Forgot About Process Safety” needs to be made into a motivational poster. 😄

In the US, there's a growing shortage of people who work in the trades/hands on jobs because everyone pushes their kids to go to college because jobs in the trades aren't as respected, for some reason.

我今天看了一部由格蘭丁女士 從小到大 一路上的心路歷程為題材的電影 ＜自閉歷程＞ 🎬 電影真的非常好看也很感人 我是看到最後才知道 原來是真人真事所改編的電影 於是上來youtube看看格蘭丁女士的相關視頻 演說中的語氣表情和動作真的會讓我很想聽 但很可惜的是 我英文不好😅

O loved that she had this kind of patience for the care of her subjects...very sensitive and interesting and briliant.

I have always thought in pictures. Words are easier to write than speak. Around our house, "Please take the dishes out of the dishwasher and put them in the dryer" (for instance) elicits "Mom.... you're doing it again." Then chuckles, and the clothes would be transferred from the washer to the dryer. 😂. Gotta love my thinking / speech patterns! My husband says my baud ( not sure if I spelled it correctly) rate is off. He says it comes from thinking faster than I can speak. I can write better than I speak, probably because I am forced to slow down. Also, sometimes I can not tell you the name of an object, (again, I've always been this way.) but I can tell you the shape, color, size, what it's used for, how you use it, where it's located, exactly, in the house, yard, store, etc. I use to think there was something wrong with my communicating skills. But it's not that. I just think in pictures. 😀 It is truly awesome to find I am not alone in this ability. Thank you for taking the time to give this talk! You are awesome! ❤❤❤

Why is this wisdom not required from educators' preparation yet?

She is so fascinating!! I dont have autism, I don't think, but some of what she describes in thought processes describes how my brain works.

'Different minds and bodies working together to create'. That's the spark of life. That is the BIG BANG.

So happy i discovered her, it opens a whole other world!

You know this just made me remember the first time I ever was given laughing gas in a dentist office for a cavity filling. I was laying back in the chair while they were working on my mouth and looking up at the ceiling, this was back in the early 80s, and I literally watched a whole Flintstones cartoon or two, totally brought up from memory, while they worked on my mouth. Huh. That explains a LOT.

Thanks from France for that I like so much the courage and the work of this woman!

I got to meet her in the mid 90's. Such a cool person.

When Temple talked about being at the project and taking in every line, I resignated. When I was a general contractor, and had a remodeling project, I liked to do what I called, "sit with it". I'd go sit walk, etc and get a feel for the project. I'm not going to self diagnose as being on the autistic spectr, em?, or im?, But I also thing in pictures and have told others this. I had speech therapy as well. Hmmmmm?, interesting. I'm also a designer and inventor. I'm working on a micro camper made of 95% recycled materials. It's in my head, I've got to start collecting materials. I've built two cabins out of pallets and reclaimed materials. I'm a visual learner. I'm terrible with spelling and grammar

I just learned I’m a visual thinker. Looking at things it baffled me how others couldn’t look at something and see that there was a serious flaw in their idea. Try and explain it and they just couldn’t conceptualize what the problem was, and I’m looking at it seeing it plain as day.

The good this woman has done for humanity through the good she's done for animals, is probably never to be repeated. May her days be long and carefree.

Temple Grandin is the best of the best ! A true treasure. ❤️🌈

I loved her book. I grew up on a farm with sheep, horses, pigs, cattle and chickens. I spent a lot of time with our cattle and horses. I could instantly tell when a cow or horse was going to kick or bolt or bite. But it wasn't because I was sharp like her, it was because I started being with the horse herd at 3 years old. By being kicked, bucked off and bit, I got really savvy at reading their body language. I was too horse crazy to quit.

🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 finally someone that can explain MY brain too. I love getting lost in “playing” in my mind. This is also how I dream. I’m always trying to figure out ways of doing things, creating systems, practicing skills all in my visual mind. I also can read animals very well, we connect and I use cat behaviours to bond with my cats. I’m totally a geek.

Music and art should be mandatory in public schools as it is in homeschooling. It's not mandatory there but is respected as a necessary part of over all educational health.

Temple = Serotonin smiles ❤ God bless her mom who elegantly taught her daughter how to be a REAL human edu model Some personalities are PURE LOVE like hers. I'm on my tuchas laughing at her subtle humor with JOY

I just had to chuckle, when she talked about the young person with no practicle experience. As a builder, and haaven taken draqfting in high school, I have said many times, "An architect should spend four years in the construction/building trade".

I've been a fan of her work for ages. I'm loving these new (to me) lectures! She sews too! I can make a pillowcase :/ but I can understand her invaluable information the world has been blessed with. She's taught me so much. ♡ Thank you

Excellent talk! This woman is amazing!

....WOW!!!!!! THANK YOU, TEMPLE GRANDIN, FOR THIS VERY INTERESTING, AND WELL EXPLAINED DEMONSTRATION, OF THE "VISUAL THINKING" PROCESS, AND ANIMALS, (AND PEOPLE) REACT TO THE ENVIRONMENT AROUND THEM.💝💖💛

Interesting to hear a woman speak plainly and not soaked in qualifiers, superpoliteness, rising intonations, hesitating, delicate, tentative, self-deprecating and hypermodesty. All the stuff I've learned to add so people are nicer. Cool to hear her matter-of-factly state her gifts and talents and the thing she's excellent at the same way she says the things she's not good at.

My family told me that I couldn't go to kindergarten if I kept telling everyone what the horses, cats and dogs on our farm were telling me! I swear I used to have telepathic conversations with them and thought pictures, but now days, people make a living telling owners what these animals are trying to tell their owners. Shame on my family! Though, sometimes I can still tune in to them, it's not as often or strong... I miss those days!❤

Nutrition that enables neuroplasticity would be a great help for many autistic people. Our brains continue to develop for all of our lives. Meat, eggs, and seafoods are the way to go.

Thank you algorithm for sending me Temple. I was glued to this. It's going to be a marvelous journey -

True genius. And to think that a "different" label and a parent without understanding could have wasted a tremendous brain and life.

I'm a visual thinker and didn't know that not all visual thinkers can test something in their mind. I can see a design in my mind and I'm able to rotate it and see it from all angles.

Wonderful! Thanks for putting this up. I am a great admirer of Temple. And I do a lot of visual thinking and design myself.

Everyone should watch this video. Temple is an awesome lady.

I could listen to her all day, I wish they would just put her in charge of revolutionising the educational system.

She's one of the greatest geniuses ever! I love her personable approach! Puts the listener at ease! Like being with a friend! 🙂

Loved reading Temple's work and listening to her talk. It made sense to me (teacher/geek/mother of 3).

You are SO interesting to listen to. The world is better with you in it! God bless.

1st Time to listen to you, or EVEN to learn of your brilliant approach to helping folks under the wide spectrum of autism. Excited to follow you & ur teachings ..MUST OF BEEN LIVING UNDER A ROCK. .

I think I just re-learned that not everyone thinks in movies in their heads. I'm 52, and this explains why I have to execute my designs fully in order for clients to understand at all what I'm talking about doing. This also explains why I'm so fast at executing workable stuff, because I'm running contingencies before I even start. And I'm bad at algebra - I made it through college algebra because of it being explained well by a 22 year old double PhD in math who was an extraordinary thinker. She understood some of this apparently. What an important individual Temple is in working through and explaining user-oriented visual process thinking.

I’m 60yo. I always thought seeing it “in your minds eye” was a figure of speech, not literal. I have no “mind’s eye” viewer, it’s a black, blank space. Recently, I discovered this is something labeled as “Aphantasia,” and affect’s about 1-5 percent of general population.

What a brilliant woman. What a brilliant public speaker

I don't know why, but I just love her. Being from the south I think maybe she reminds me of someone I knew once. Nor just her way of thinking that I relate to, it's something in her speech and mannerisms, Idk. This video was so helpful in showing me how to explain things to others.

I love Temple Grandin❣ God bless her😊

When she told about the mayor who waited until her owner got home to have the colt I almost cried! I had a cat that did the same thing to me. She waited until I was home from school and settled on my bed to start having her kittens.

I get to see her today and I'm beyond excited

I noticed the other day, while in the middle of my room trying to clean and organize, that, although my eyes were open I was not looking at the mess and furniture in my room, but was instead looking at a ‘video’ in my head superimposed over the actual visual input I was getting from the actual space itself and doing all the experimental heavy lifting inside my mind.

I live in Fort Collins and met her standing in line at the DMV she said her name is Mary as she introduced herself to me at the renewing our driver's licenses, quite an interesting person.

awesomeness. learned more with your presentation than I did through years a years in school trying figure out how to relate why I could not read or write until 4th grade. I used to think I was dumb.

I also love that she isn't seeking to confirm one agenda or another - she just wants to get the bottom of the matter each time. Are cattle scared of dying, or is it something else that's putting them off? Such a potentially loaded question. An important one to discern the answer to. Focusing on the truth in front of us instead of aligning ourselves to an ideology is so important.

Fascinating stuff, thank you Temple....

This was wonderful. I'm going to check out Temple's book. Thanks

I love you and your mind and teachings. Thank you Temple

This Lady is wonderful & a blessing to cows & her teaching is a blessing to all!

I believe you're the first teacher I absolutely admire.

Such respect for Temple Grandin. But it’s way too hard for me to listen to designs about slaughter houses. I want them to suffer less, but more than that I want them not to suffer at all.

O what a world it would be if All the Minds worked together🌻

As an extremely visual learner who also has synesthesia I fully agree that the hands on classes being tossed aside in schools and only working on test scores is IMHO very accurate. The building a home and learning geometry would have been brilliant. Sitting in class just listening, my brain will definitely go for a walk. Several in fact, many miles worth before I'll realize I went off track... ADHD.. Had I had to construct something and learn math through that process, I'd of excelled. Temple, you're a genius.. I've said for awhile that while the spectrum aspect is true, that dx's of Austim and ADHD and such are not handicaps as we understand them. There's great brilliance there. I agree with her about pills as well. I would love to speak with her.

I can take a movie of something sometimes. In Astronomy, he asked was it twinkling, I said hold on & played it back without thinking and he said to me," I can tell by where your eyes just went you were out there." I can try to take a movie of something & fail. Sometimes I try& I can. I wish I could control what my Grandpa called," Pull up your identic imaging."

I'm so glad they made a movie about her. I may have never known about her, and I was born and raised in Arizona!

Thank you Temple Grandin.

Amazing woman......very interesting and I really like her accent and listening to her speak

I have ADHD. Poor working memory great long term . Admirer of Temple, a pioneer in industrial farming safe handling of animals. WHISH there were many more people people who thought like Temple working in the industry!

I think my husband and daughter have her thinking style. My son is more like me words and emotions, but he is a boy and had a knack for observation of mechanical things. He wants to drive tractors. I have so much to learn from this wonderful woman on how to guide my children’s education, and how to communicate better with my husband.

You are just Brilliant! My mom told me in the 40's if you were not college material (books and math etc) you spent 10-12 grade in a trade school. What a concept!

i am a verbal thinker. I remember what I have heard almost to the exclusion of what I have seen. If I lose my hearing I worry I will lose my memory. Hearing loss is associated with dementia. I want to develop visual thinking to save my mind

TG, you are amazing! Thank you! Much love to you!

This lady is fascinating. I recently found her on Jordan Peterson Podcast, but I've seen her before. I just didn't know anything about her. I'm very glad I took the time to listen.

I'm both details and gestalt. I thank God for everything I've been through, and everything I am. Everyone is so important to how our societies function. We are ignoring so much of our strength as a social species when we don't recognize, honor and utilize the gifts of our cognitive diversity. It's insane to me that trying to experience what the animals experience is confusing to anyone. I'm starting to realize more and more that I have to be aware that others aren't coming to the same conclusions about our interfacing with reality, and this is fueling the assumptions people make that kinda blow my mind... I love you all. We got this. 😁♥️🙏